Top Twenty Cinema Mothers to Celebrate Mother’s Day

How many great moms on film can you think of? They fall into categories. The first is the best kind, the mom who figures out motherhood along the way. There is the saintly mother – Grapes of Wrath, It’s a Wonderful Life. And the evil mother – Psycho, Mommy Dearest. They are all equally wonderful, wouldn’t you say? TIME Mag has a pretty good list.

You aren’t born a parent, you’re made one through your experience raising kids. Hollywood likes to make unlikely mothers into heroes and often these aren’t women at all, but men, like Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer.

Herewith, a list of my favorite mothers depicted on the big screen in good, bad and ugly ways.

Full disclosure, most of mine are mother and daughter relationship films, but not all.